Top Albums, Songs, Artists – 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Southern Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm had both the most-played album (A Stranger In This Time) and song (“Gonna Be Great”) on folk radio during 2017, according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. John McCutcheon, one of America’s most revered folksinger-songwriters, was the year’s most-played artist. [The top albums, songs and artists charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingTop Albums, Songs, Artists – 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)
Read more about the article Winners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Winners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Category winners have been named in the 34th annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, presented by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW), while overall grand, second and third prize winners will be announced during an awards gala on Jan. 21, 2018 at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia. Alberta, Canada-based singer-songwriter John Wort Hannam was the top winner (Gold) in the Folk-Acoustic category for his song “Ain’t Enough,” while Herndon, Virginia’s Crys Matthews took second place (Silver) for “We Must Be Free.” [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingWinners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Top Albums and Songs – December 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 12: Happy Holidays, a compilation CD distributed by radio promoter Erik Balkey, was the most-played album on folk radio during December 2017. “Somethin’ Special” by Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) was the month’s most-played song; it’s featured on both the Hudson Harding Sampler and on Stookey’s own EP, Summerfallwinterspring. So say charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. [The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.]

Continue ReadingTop Albums and Songs – December 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Mid-January is Music Festival Time in Florida

Floridians and visitors to the Sunshine State can escape the winter doldrums and enjoy some fine music in mid-January. The South Florida Folk Festival and the 30A Songwriters Festival take place over the same weekend in different parts of the state. The former includes the finals of an annual singer-songwriter competition, while the latter features such big-name talents as Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingMid-January is Music Festival Time in Florida
Read more about the article 2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition Opens for Entries

2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition Opens for Entries

Entries are now being accepted for the 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 2018, during the first weekend of the 47th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country. The first 800 entries received by February 28 will be judged, and 32 finalists will be named in April. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Continue Reading2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition Opens for Entries

Top Albums and Songs – November 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Dori Freeman, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, and The Wailin’ Jennys had the most-played albums on folk radio during November 2017, with Letters Never Read, Echo In the Valley, and Fifteen, respectively. New Jersey-based folksinger and song interpreter Mara Levine’s bluegrass-style rendition of Susan B. Shann’s “You Reap What You Sow” was the month’s #1 song. So say charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. [The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingTop Albums and Songs – November 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Crys Matthews Wins 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition

Crys Matthews was named the grand-prize winner in the 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition after performing, along with other finalists, during a live music showcase at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ David Rubenstein Atrium in New York City on Thursday, November 30. [To continue reading this article, which includes links to a couple of video, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingCrys Matthews Wins 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition

2018 Grammy Awards Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field

Nominees in 84 categories have been named for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards to be presented by The Recording Academy on Sunday, January 28, 2018. Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees for awards in the American Roots Music Field that, alas, will likely be presented prior to the live broadcast airing on CBS television stations that evening from Madison Square Garden in New York City. [To continue reading this article and see the list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field, click on the headline.]

Continue Reading2018 Grammy Awards Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field

Michael Kornfeld Re-Elected President of Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Board

Michael Kornfeld, editor and publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, was re-elected to a second term as president of the board of directors of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) during its annual conference at the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, CT, Nov. 9-12, 2017. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingMichael Kornfeld Re-Elected President of Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Board

NERFA Conference Returns to Stamford, CT, Nov. 9-12 – Celebrating Music and Community

More than 700 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, Connecticut, Nov. 9-12, for the 23rd Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day. [To continue reading this article -- which includes listings of all the artists performing in juried Formal and Semi-Formal Showcases, as well as those hosted by AcousticMusicScene.com -- click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingNERFA Conference Returns to Stamford, CT, Nov. 9-12 – Celebrating Music and Community